This was actually written way back on 13 July 2015 elsewhere and I decided to post it here now. I haven’t back-dated it as it is a standalone piece.
First a little disclaimer : These three bikes are very different and therefore a direct comparison is somewhat unfair and that’s not really what I’m trying to achieve here. It’s rather a case of observations regarding each compared to the other and a lot of it might not be good or bad depending on the type of rider who it appeals to.
Also I should state that I have no real world interest in buying a Diavel and didn’t expect it to convert me in any way because even as a pipe dream it would also be a second bike kind of bike to me.
A little bit on my current bike first to tell you where I’m coming from…
2014 Triumph Street Triple R
Having had a Buell Lighting before I had a bit of “bomskok” after an accident and stopped biking for a while I’m fully converted to naked bikes with near zero interest in owning a fairinged bike of any kind least of all a superbike. I never say no to taking any bike for a spin, but I’ll never own a superbike again unless I win the Lotto and even then I’d park it in my garage and have a glass of wine with it.
Funnily enough before I even got on the Street Triple vibe I had wanted a Ducati Hyperstrada since they were first announced in early 2013 but then partly due to lacking local support and the overall price I had simply put the option out of my mind.
So out of what was left the Triumph Street Triple checked all the boxes as there was a brand new model released in 2013 with a design that finally made me really like the bike. I got the first MY2014 bike thinking that it being a new model you never take the first bikes and check out the issues first.
Although I could afford the Speed Triple it seemed like a waste of power and money since I ride every day. I would simply burn more fuel, tyres, sprockets and chains for something that maybe adds a real world 10% that I really wouldn’t use every day.
Naked check, medium sized engine check, fuel economy check, good looking check, comfort…reasonable. Luggage options…if you want anything more than a wallet and a toothbrush to go anywhere you are off to buy strap on bags or wear a backpack.
Over the last two years the comfort has become more and more of a concern. Half of it is the ridiculously sporty (super hard) suspension. Now lots of people think you simply buy the bike with the adjustable suspension and then you can soften it up for your comfort…that is not the case. You can’t make hard suspension soft without swopping the parts and that is not only an expensive adventure but more than likely will compromise the handling otherwise the manufacturer would have done it in the first place.
The other part of the comfort problem is simply the geometry. This is effectively a naked Triumph Daytona 675 superbike for all intents and purposes fitted with regular bars instead of clip-ons.
So the seat is very much the same and your grip on the tank identical, you just don’t lean as low into it as the bars sit a little bit closer. Two years later and many back pains and wrist aches later I can tell you that I might as well have bought a Daytona. Not really, I still can’t spend more than twenty minutes on a superbike without wanting to die, but you get the idea.
I fitted a 20mm riser to the bars and rotated them closer which has made a world of difference so that I actually use the clutch again and don’t have too many aches and pains too often. It actually does the job of getting to work and back without too much of an issue, it just limits me from touring or going on properly long day rides like I used to.
Let’s also not forget that I’ve gotten older and I have a hell of a lot more issues than I had 10 years ago, so it’s not all the bike’s fault.
The Triumph has a superb engine, probably the best in this class. Really, the capacity is perfect, the noise is brilliant, the power and torque are perfectly balanced. It’s really the perfect blend of Inline-4 power and Twin torque and is also surprisingly economical at 5.5-6 l/100km even when I’m smashing it.
The engine also never ever skips a beat and remains supremely reliable and predictable. I’ve had one warranty claim at 6000km from new and it was a small gasket at the front sprocket that was trickling the tiniest bit of oil. 20 000km later it hasn’t had a single drama.
At the same time that reliability and eternally predicatable nature also makes it boring. Say what you want about Harley and their motor in my Buell, but it had a soul. It was never quite the same twice but also never had any problems and always fired up and put a smile on my dial.
The 675cc Triple is pretty much like a german car. It will always do things exactly the same exactly as you expect it to do them and never have anything else to say about it, which makes it utterly soulless. It doesn’t shake or rattle and idles just like a 4-cylinder with a little bit of a vacuum cleaner induction noise when you rev it up.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a brilliant bike any way you look at it, but I think my needs have changed while the bike is still just doing exactly what it has always done.
2015 Ducati Hyperstrada
So two years on and I find myself looking at the same bike I did three years before when I first started thinking about getting back into the biking game again after taking a short break.
The Hyperstrada is the exact same thing as the Hypermotard and just defines the standard touring kit. So it comes with a different seat, proper windscreen, soft panniers, raised bars and a centre stand. All the parts can be fitted to a standard Hypermotard if you like and vice versa.
It claims to be a big bike motard, duh it has motard in the name. The Hyperstrada is just more of the comfort and touring sales pitch of the same thing. Now apart from my Buell which also claimed to be a pseudo-motard I’ve had little to no experience with these kinds of bikes that I can recall.
Needless to say then I expect it to be very similar to my Buell…what a shocker when it wasn’t.
Getting on the bike it’s firstly really damn tall…especially when you try to dodge the panniers to get on. I had checked the spec sheet beforehand and there’s only meant to be 5mm seat height difference between my Street Triple and the Hyper but in the real world that translates very differently.
Then the part where it gets weird is that you sit on..where you expect the tank to be. Normally I’m used to having the tank in front of me and gripping around it. In this case there is no normal “tank” in front of me and it’s all flat with me holding onto the frame instead.
It’s a bizarre feeling as if I’m sitting on the front wheel and that part is much like my Buell where you lean forward and see the front wheel touching the ground in front of you, but the main difference here is that it feels like the windscreen will klap you in the face if you just lean slightly forward.
As strange as it is, it’s an incredibly commanding position and I found myself quite at home within a few kilometres and also immediately knew why these motard okes want to put their leg down to shift their weight because it seems much more natural to do that than shift your ass off the seat.
However I did have a problem moving off as the freeplay in the throttle wasn’t at all to my liking and I would adjust that out immediately should my own bike have that problem and the clutch was biting way too far out. I get incredible wrist pain very quickly riding like that so the Triumph has been adjusted to start releasing within a centimetre or so from the grip.
One also tends to forget that over two years your own bike has been perfect adjusted little by little for your needs. Suspension is perfect (as can be) and all the other bits have either been setup for you or you’ve adjust to them perfectly over time.
So it took a bit of doing to get my shifts right nicely and the bike being virtually brand new certainly didn’t help. Never had a problem with the gearbox not working as expected but it’s not as defined and clicky as my Triumph or other sportier bikes which I would prefer actually.
I hated having a gear indicator on the Triumph at first as it was quite distracting…and here I find myself moaning about the fact that the Ducati doesn’t have one. It also doesn’t have a fuel gauge but only a fuel light. Neither are deal breakers, but it just shows how you get used to the little comforts in life.
The 841cc motor in the Duc is very tricky to define. It’s extremely linear so you don’t really feel the power through the rev range and then get massive surprise when you look down and check the speedo only to realise you are way past illegal. Looking down is also an odd problem, as I feel with my STR I look forward and down still seeing the road and now I have to look straight down to see the dash.
Which is also why I found myself thinking that the “touring” windscreen wasn’t do jack ****, until I looked down and saw I was doing 170, this while sitting bolt upright in supreme comfort. On my STR with no real windscreen to speak of, more of a cosmetic trimming in front, when I get to 150 it becomes hard work and 170 is just downright uncomfortable.
The seat is a catch 22. It’s a terrifically comfortable thing and does a superb job of holding you in place. However, this also means you aren’t moving anywhere but at the same time with the windscreen right in your face you don’t really have anywhere to go. For me personally it was superb, but big/smaller guys might not find it as accomodating. I suspect the Hypermotard will offer you more options in this regard though and really if need be you could probably put that seat on the ‘Strada or choose one of the other optional seats.
Suspension wise I took some purposely familiar roads with known bad patches and also some speed bumps I’m quite familiar with. I clocked a speedbump I normally take in 1st on the STR in 3rd on the Hyper and it was pretty comfortable whereas normally I would be clamping down to fight the hard bumps.
Another catch 22 is that the front suspension isn’t adjustable. Not at all from what I could see while the rear has preload and either rebound or compression settings but not both. Preload is with an auxiliary adjuster as well so you can easily tune it for luggage or a passenger which is nice. Now on one hand I would feel that I need to be able to setup my suspension, but at the same time if the stock suspension works for me why worry. At the same time I feel that if it is adjustable you just end up worrying about it and never quite getting it right, whereas in this case you simply deal with it and move along. So while I do find it a bit odd, especially on a machine of this calibre, it’s not going to stop me from buying one.
I specially asked to have the panniers fitted for the demo so I could see how hard they are to handle in traffic. Well…I forgot they were there and my mate claims I never really came seriously close to hitting anyone with them. Reason I worried is because they are the widest point and peak out about 10cm from the bars I reckon. Obviously I didn’t have luggage with me so I can’t comment on how they affect weight and handling when loaded up. Sadly they don’t lock in a normal latch setup but come with pinlocks to connect the zippers together. Not ideal but at the same time similar to what I used on my Buell. I wouldn’t leave it overnight like but short stints would be fine and they do clip off easily enough and do lock to the bike itself.
Personally though one of the big reasons I want this particular bike is because it has a factory Topbox setup. Something I’ve always wanted to have but was never willing to compromise a bike for. In this case they look like they belong and therefore my day to day riding would simply be with the Topbox to put my laptop bag in and when I get to work take my jacket and helmet off and swop the two. No more having to do a plie through turnstiles or carrying your kit with you everywhere. Jeez I could probably go buy Sushi and get it home in one piece.
I quickly went home to show my wife the bike and even with her and baby on the back it still felt like there was more than enough room. Look I took a Buell, probably the shortest bike in the world, touring with two people and luggage before so probably not the best judge there. But I think even with the Top box fitted it’s been thought out well with grab rails and everything. Normally my wife complains that the footpegs are set too far backward forcing her to lean forward, but she was quite happy in this case. Even as the rider I didn’t once consider the footpegs which means they didn’t bother me at all.
About the only thing I could complain about ergonomically is that the normal footrest and the centre stand tend to overlap each other and therefore getting the stand out was pretty tricky. That being said I struggled with my Triumph stand for weeks as well so I’m sure ownership would change that in time.
Oh the other thing I forgot to mention were the electronics and riding modes. Firstly in typical Italian fashion some of it was needlessly complex…so much so that I still don’t know how to reset the fuel economy trip meter…and neither did the salesperson. Changing between the modes is simple enough and you click the indicator button to jump through them and then hold it for three seconds to select. You can do it while riding but you need to have the throttle closed and brakes off.
Speaking of the indicator switch I had an incredibly hard time on both bikes to know if I had pressed it or not and needed to look down every time to make sure that it was in fact on. It might be partly because the light isn’t in my peripheral vision but I think it’s genuinely the case of the action being too soft and lacking a definite click. It wasn’t ever not on though, so maybe it’s more sensitive than I think and won’t be a real world problem.
The riding modes are Urban, Touring and Sport. Effectively Urban = Rain and limits you to 75hp and puts the ABS and Traction on super sensitive mode. I didn’t even bother using this. Touring is meant to be the middle ground day to day mode with full power but more restrained power delivery and normal level of ABS and Traction. Sport is balls to the wall mode with sharper throttle and although ABS and TCS remain on they are much lower. I’ll be honest and say I really couldn’t’ feel the difference between Sport and Touring. And although I didn’t track the bike or go completely nuts with it I did a number of purposeful hard stops and also accidental ham fisting of the throttle due to the freeplay as well as just dropping the clutch and not once did the TCS or ABS intervene.
My Triumph also has ABS and I’ve only ever managed to activate it using the rear brake when getting a little too frisky. I think for a new rider these things will probably play a paramount role but as someone who has done this in excess of twelve years now on a myriad of different bikes my self-preservation is well and truly in place to ride properly. That being said I’m not trying to say you don’t need them…one of the reason I want this bike is for the ABS and the new addition of traction control because the day that I do make a mistake I want it to be a non-event.
Stock the bike doesn’t sound terrible but it certainly doesn’t sound amazingly awesome either. It sounds great coming past you, just much more subdued when you are riding it yourself. The big problem here is that the Termignoni pipe you really want to put on there costs R24000. Yup that’s not a mistake. And sure there are other options…but they just aren’t quite the same.
Overall I was immensely impressed with the bike and it ticks all the boxes that I want right now. I still question myself whether it’s worth holding onto the STR for another year and then buy a Multistrada, but then much like the Speed Triple all over again I ask myself if that’s simply too much bike for my purposes. Sure it has all the technology in the world but at a phenomenal price as well, even second hand. So I find myself coming back to the Hyperstrada being the logical/sensible/practical choice while still being Italian and maintaining some of that exotic flare.
2015 Ducati Diavel Carbon
You don’t ride the Devil, the Devil rides you.
That pretty much sums up the Diavel experience in one sentence. It’s an utterly unadulterated, unapologetic, balls to the wall riding experience. Actually I’m not even sure calling it a riding experience is fair, it’s more like a rollercoaster that does it’s own thing and you just happen to be holding onto it.
Let’s start at the beginning. What is a Diavel? Ducati’s official blurb says “Don’t call me a cruiser” and I tend to agree. Most people would call this a Muscle Cruiser and place it in the same segment as the Yamaha V-Max and Harley Davidson V-Rod series. Cruiser looking things with big horsepower engines that have been somewhat tuned to handle as well as they possibly can for what they are. On face value the Diavel seems exactly like them…then you ride it and realise this isn’t a Muscle Cruiser but instead it’s a Cruiser Superbike which is something altogether different.
Three things stand out about this bike that set it apart from everything else even close to this segment.
Firstly there are the looks which I will simply call…interesting. I would never call it pretty in totality but it’s most certainly unique and that gives it a certain allure. Individual parts are something to be marvelled at especially the carbon fibre bits all over this particular model. The entire look is scifi and space age with modern LED tech all over, super sexy exhaust headers with twin pipes. The front and rear end are both a little bit odd but I wouldn’t dare say ugly, but strangest of all actually sitting on the thing the view from the seat and out over the tank and bars is actually what was most pleasing to me. The seat in and of itself is a work of art, especially that carbon cover over the pillion section when not using that. Oh and the pillion footpegs…man why can’t everyone have something this sexy that completely hides itself out of the way when not in use? I wish I had taken a video or time lapse pictures of those because it’s the hottest thing on this whole bike.
Second up is that incredible 240 section rear tyre. It just looks crazy badass, they always do on any bike that runs them. But then you always assume it simply can’t go around corner…but it does…incredibly so. Granted at slow speed it’s a bit of a beast to maneuver around the neighbourhood, but this has more to do with the wide pegs which make putting your legs down “interesting” especially on painted lines. Obviously living in the real world you expect a certain kind of handling from a bike this bike that weighs 234 kg fully loaded, but even then the Diavel really surprises. The only thing I have an issue with is the Italians over engineering a problem that never existed in the first place in the shape of the number plate bracket the comes off the swingarm and also acts as a mudguard of sorts. It just looks a bit silly and in a way you expect the arse of the bike to carry this which is not just a massive blank space and partly why it looks weird, but it also blocks the view of that massive rear tyre.
Lastly there is the power. This thing runs 162hp from a superbike engine which I believe was used in the pre-Panigale 1198. Now technically the V-Max has a bit more power, but less torque, but at the same time also weighs more than a 100 kg more so that is completely negated in real world terms. It is unbelievably fast as long as you keep it above 4000rpm and manage to hold on, because there is no windscreen or any kind of aerodynamic protection to keep the world at bay. Below 4000 rpm though it tries to rattle itself apart. You could think a bike with a massive motor like this would run off idle using the clutch alone but that is not the case, get the gearing wrong and it bogs right down. In contrast the Hyperstrada would pull from just about anywhere in the revs in any gear. On the upperside of the rev range though this thing would pull the Hyperstrada at crazy speed like I mentioned earlier and because of it’s low profile and weight remains completely stable doing so with aerodynamics being the only limitation.
The seat does an excellent job of stopping you in place under acceleration much like the V-Max I’ve ridden previously, but unlike the Hyperstrada there is a bit too much motion for my liking and under braking you end up sliding forward and then back again under acceleration. Ergonomically I wasn’t exactly compatible with this bike having to stretch too far forward to manage the controls and getting especially uncomfortable under acceleration. The Nightrod Special I rode before had similar issues for me, but Harley give you a hundred options to customize your bike as part of the purchase price to sort exactly this out. The Night Rod Special had forward controls for footpegs and shifter/brake which I hated at the time but in retrospect I feel that’s exactly what the Diavel needs to make it work for me. In previous years Ducati had the Diavelstrada which was also a more touring oriented bike but now it’s missing from the website so I can’t confirm the differences, but I suspect that might be the one you would really want to be truly comfortable on the thing.
It’s aerodynamic and ergonomic issues are ultimately what make this a pure poser bike for me personally and not something I would want to ride regularly or even own in this specific form. It’s a little bit like doing a Moon Landing all over again in that it’s nothing more than a pissing contest that is utterly pointless. Especially when you consider the R258 000 price tag attached to this Carbon model.
Much like the Hyperstrada the engine sounded great when it was riding past me, but somewhat subdued and tractor-like when I was riding it myself. Again though with some pipes on I’ve heard these bikes before and they are absolutely mental. At idle it also sounds like there is a marble running around in there somewhere, but it might simply be Ducati’s timing system that I’m not used to or even the hydraulic clutch setup.
Speaking of the clutch I expected it to be super light being hydraulic but that wasn’t the case. It certainly wasn’t terrible by any means and I’m just happy that it grabbed at the right place for my liking because you can’t adjust it like a normal cable clutch. Again like the Hyperstrada the riding modes were much of a muchness to me and I never had the traction or ABS lights come on. That being said with a 162hp bike I would most definitely be using the 100hp limited Urban/Rain mode when it gets wet, or even every day for commuting as it will save some fuel as well…but then I would never own this bike so that would never happen.
Overall it was a fun and interesting experience and I think definitely something every motorcyclist should try at least once. Short of some serious modifications or the Diavel Strada model I can’t see myself ever owning one or wanting to spend serious time with it. In this price range there are a hell of a lot of options and in this particular category I would probably end up buying a Harley Davidson Night Rod Special as bizarre as that sounds to myself.
Back on the Triumph
As with all test rides of any other bike you always find yourself jumping back on your own steed and then being right at home, no matter what it was you’ve just ridden.
With my Buell this would happen time and time again where I would go ride something else thinking this is the one I’m going to buy and then I end up back on my bike and think to myself “Nope…this is still awesome”. If it wasn’t for the fact that I needed some mental time off after a crash and that Buell doesn’t exist any more I would probably still be riding that bike today.
Sadly with the Triumph this wasn’t quite the case after jumping back on. Immediately the clutch and throttle work as expected and the timing is perfect changing both up and down with throttle blips and no slipper clutch required. However it’s immediately apparent that the seat is hard as all hell and the suspension certainly doesn’t help either.
The slightly pitched forward upper body also doesn’t help things and you try your best to compromise between laying into your arms or holding yourself onto the bike with your core. So you end up sacrificing either your back or your wrists or to a lesser degree both.
In the Triumph’s defense that was after a hectic demo ride and with the Diavel being last which is more uncomfortable but in a very different way. Today riding into work it doesn’t feel all that bad and I can see myself riding the STR for as long as I need to especially if Ducati don’t play along with the trade-in that is sensible and doesn’t see me taking an unnecessary knock..
The Ducati Experience
I feel I just want to say a few things about the Ducati bike experience as a whole and also some things specific to Cape Town and trying out Ducati’s.
Regarding the bikes themselves, there is absolutely no denying that you are getting on or looking at a Ducati. Even with these two bikes being at significantly different price points they are both equally special and you feel special riding them and looking at them.
There are a hundred Ducati logos on each of them to make sure that you know it’s a Ducati. But none of them are brash or in your face and are done quite subtly just as a little token reminder. From the logo on the engine itself through to the embossed logos on the tanks and the inlay in the carbon fibre on the back of the Diavel. There are Ducati logos imbedded in the handlebar grips and machined into the aluminium protector of the panniers. Best of all when you start each of these bikes it says “Ducati” on the screen with a little animation and then swipes that away into the model you are riding. It seems like a silly thing but it really makes all the difference in adding that special Italian flair. The workmanship overall makes you understand exactly what you are paying for here (ignoring the ridiculous Italian export taxes inflating the price of course) and the little details everywhere really makes it stand apart from other brands. I look at the stitching in the real leather on the “cheap” Hyperstrada and then look at the plain piece of fake rubber pretend leather on my Triumph and it’s clear which one was paid more attention to. Heat shields along the header pipes, those beautifully engineered fold away pillion pegs on the Diavel…man just looking at the paint up close it all screams quality.
Then you get back to the shop and a new owner fires up his 899 Panigale for the first time and that “How is this even legal?” noise that erupts from the exhausts gives you goosebumps. Doesn’t matter what little detail you look at you really feel special.
There is of course this little matter of an obvious peeling sticker on a very new Diavel Carbon which is pretty sub par…
As for the shopping experience, Ducati Cape Town technically doesn’t exist. Not since Ducati South Africa folded a few years ago and was reborn under Porsche South Africa when Audi bought out Ducati as a whole.
As such they run a “satellite office” of Ducati Johannesburg through a Superbike Solutions in Somerset West which has been associated with Ducatis for years and have trained staff on hand to look after the bikes.
Right now if you buy a Ducati in Cape Town you do so via Johannesburg and it gets delivered to you at Superbike Solutions who will then also do all warranty and service work going forward.
Until recently Ducati offered the Ducati Ride Plan as part of the purchase price. Essentially this came about as part of Audi taking over and is a two year “motorplan” for their bikes. Sadly this year they decided to make it optional and although you technically always paid for it, having been built into the price it now doesn’t seem so lucrative. Then again if you finance the bike you get to throw it all in for a minimal monthly cost difference, so there is that as well.
Superbike Solutions seems like a small time venture and don’t quite have the Ducati presence that the shop had in Johannesburg when I visited there. Nowhere near it to be honest. They pretty much just house the demo bikes and the sales guy Anston is employed by Ducati Jo’burg.
So although they have pretty much the whole range of demos available don’t expect a fancy Italian cappuccino when you walk in the door or a room full of Ducati gear and paraphernalia.
That being said they have the “small town” feel about them and also are a lot easier to deal with. In the big Jo’burg shop you get that typical vibe of “you don’t look like you have the money to be here” and that you should dress up for the occasion or something. The guys are much more down to earth and ready for a chat and I honestly prefer that kind of experience.
Anston has told me there are plans for a proper Ducati Cape Town in the future…but who knows when that future is. I do expect it will happen though and it will be very similar to the Johannesburg experience.
Overall it was a magical experience riding these bikes and visiting their shop/s and I’m fully converted.
I suspect the bigger problem will come in when trying to trade in my bike for a reasonable offer and then I might end up right back at the Multistrada but do the upgrade in a few months to a year.
South African Motorcyclist 